Manufacture of manganese-steel wire.



U ITED STATES PATENTeOFFICE wrnrrnrns. ror'rna, or NEW YORK, N. r,

nanurac'runn or nancannsn-srnnnwmn.

1,018,369. no Drawing.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 4, 1912. -.Serial No.'869,460.

Patented Feb. 1912.

To all whom it may concern:

\ Be it known that I, WINFIELD S. Porn-1R, a citizen of the United States, and residing at the Apthorp Apartments. at the corner OfBroadway and Seventy-eighth street, in the borough of Manhattan, in the city,

7 county, and State of New York, have in- 1 vented certain new and useful Improvements in Manufacture of Manganese-Steel Wire; and I do hereby declare the following. to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertamsto make and use the same.

My invention relates to the manufacture from manganese steel of wire of clrcular, oval, rectangular or other desired cross-section. appropriate to the particular use for which the product is intended and includmanganesesteel in a teriite state andthe formation of a bar or .in such products asthin flat tapes capable of ing produced by the manipulation and heat-'treatment hereinafter set forth.

In an application for Letters ,Patent of the United States filed by me under date of member 28th, 1911, Ser. No. 668.275, I haiie described the production of a billet of strong, uniform, ausrod therefrom under conditions which give a continuous fine-grained structureof the steel throughout the bar or rod.

In carrying'out my present invention, the

billet is rolled to. a rod and the' rod isfin ished with the finerained structure referred to and at suc temperatures (temperatures which in the finishing stage of the rolling of. the rod will lie within the range of say 800 C. to 975 C.) as will avoid any rapid recrystallization. The rod thus formed is then worked further until at temperatures below 420 C. and until of the desired gage, the reductions of the cross-section gradually diminishing from one drawrapidly cooling the rod or wire when it has reached the predetermined temperature above 420 C. Q

- If the rod orwire produced as last described has not the required gage and needs further reduction, it may be reheated and drawn through dies having moving surfaces (such as roller dies) at any temperature; but, in order to avoid a coarse regraining of the steel, the temperature for reheating should not exceed about 1050 C., and

if the reheating is at any temperature above 640 C. its duration should be short. avoiding these long periods of equalized temperatureabove 640 C., certain inter-grain separations wit an attendant loss of cohesion between the grains are also avoided, and not only will the wire be stronger and tougher, but will be non-lamihated, that is, free from non-coherent fibers and internal weak cleavage surfaces. If the rod or wire is reheated to above 420 C. it is preferable to finish its further reduction before it is again cooled to below 420 C. in those instances where the rod or wire,'during the reheating or previous cooling 'may' have lost, in part, its austenite condition, and where, consequently, the metal, if now lacking inductility, would 'be unduly strained if drawn below that temperature.

heating at an Or, if the. metal has not been permitted to pass out of the austenite stateduring the reheating operation and the subsequentcooling to 420 C. with coincident working, the drawing operation may be continued during the cooling ample, the rolled rod mayibe finished at say 800 C. to 1000 C. and then immediately further worked for example, by die drawing or immediately quenched :or otherwise immediately water-cooled and afterto lower temperatures. For exward quickly heated to between 720 .C. v V

and 1o5o 01 (say 1000 0.). be immediately worked and of the series with corresponding compress1on and gradual reduction in cross-section during the cooling, the cooling being rapid and the working being continued until the.

wire has a temperature as low as 420 "C. It may then still be capable of enduring additional reduction at temperatures below 420 0. without serious straining, especially if the total percentage of reduction from the last reheating to 1000 C. or thereabouts has been moderate in amount, that is to say, has

It may theng passed quickly. as it cools from one reducingdie. to the next not exceeded, for instance, 7 per cent. reconducted in such manner that as great a duction in area of section whilecooling from proportion as possible of the total reduction say 7 C; to 420 C. or per cent. reducfrom the billet to the rod and from the rod tion while cooling from say 500 C. to 400 to the finished wire will be executed at tem- 5 C. In general, however, it will be found peratures above 720 G. or thereabout, inasthat the manganese steel wire will require much as the manganese steel is readily renrecrystallization to relieve it from strain dered stiff and weak by a reduction of any and to restore its ductility lost in part, durconsiderable percentage in any one reducing ing the drawing operation. This may be die at a temperature below 720 G. or even 10 effected by winding the wire from one reel by a series of reductions amounting in the on to another, and passing it through a suitaggregate to a considerable proportion in able heating medium interposed between the one heating below 720 C. Furthermore, two reels. The heating operation should be since fixed dies are not easily made to endure so conducted as to heat the wire throughout tern cratures above 000 C. or thereabout,

for a few'seconds to a temperature ranging it will be found most suitable to first roll the so from about 72? C. to about 1025 C., the billet down to a very small rod (say inch higher. temperature referred to being prefin diameter) and then to draw the rod to a arable in order to restore more promptly to wire through dies having moving die-sursolution throughout the mass any carbids faces, after first reheating the rod to a temgn which may have separated during the prior perature of from 800 C to 1000 C. Thus working and cooling operation. I have the rod may be drawn through the grooves found that i a temperature of 1025 C. of'passes of rotating dies consisting of small throughout and for a few seconds only, is rollers arranged in pairs or in two or more sufiicient to practically restore into solution pairs for each drawing operation, and, as

25 the limited carbid separations which hay e the wire leaves the rotatin dies, it may be taken place during the formation of the water-cooled, or it may be reheated and wire from thebillet. cooled as hereinbefore described to effect The reheatin of the wire to the ran e of such recrystallization and toughening as temperature re erred to, that is to say, rom may be desired.

30 about 720 C. to about 1025 '0. causes it to As hereinbefore indicated, the finishing recrystallize into a regrained, fine, uniform, stages of the rolling of the billet to the rod strong, tough, austemte state. The reh'eatwill usually be conducted at temperatures ing 0 the moving wire as it passes from one between 800 C. and 1050 C. and the roller reel to the other may be effected by passing die drawing will usually be conducted at 35 it through a furnace having a suitable nontemperatures between 420 C. and 1050 C. oxidizing atmosphere and by radiation from The wire may then be finely wire-drawn the furnace lining, without actual contact through fixed dies and preferably at a temwith the furnace hearth; or by passing it perature between about 300 C. where the through a bath" of molten slag or salt glass metal has a considerable de cc of ductility 4o maintained as a temperature-balancing mass when in the uniform, toug ened, austenite on the furnace hearth, or by passing the state, and a-temperature of about 420 C.- wire over and out of contact with such bath below which there is no reversion out 'of the of molten slag or glass. As the wire issues uniform, austenite condition. I have found from the furnace, it is immediately cooled that at temperatures within the range of 45 down to atmospheric temperature by means, about 300 C. and 420 C. the wire will enfor example, of a number of water jets, or dure several times the reduction that could it may be sim'larly cooled by passing it be given to it if the reduction were carried through a bath of a melted lead alloy having on at a lesser heat.

- a temperature below 420 C. The wire hav- In order to secure the rapid reduction of I50 ing now the desired gage and being in the the rod while at high temperatures as al- 11: uniform, strong, tough, austenite state reready described, I recommend the use of ferred to, may be used in this condition. If, short stiff rolls mounted in multiples of two however,,a smoother surface or stiffer state adjacent pairs. One pair will preferably is re uired, the wire maybe given a correhave its axes parallel but at an angle (for 55 s on in 1y determined percentage of reexample 90) to the parallel axes of'the 121 uction y further wire drawing. In any adjoining pair, so that one pair may reduce case, however, the wire shopld not be conthe rod in one direction and the adjoining siderably reduced in cross section during pair will then so reduce the rod as to mainlow tempefature or cold drawing without tain its symmetry. For instance, one pair 60 being afterward again subjected to the reof the roller dies rolls a round rod to an oval 12 crystallizing and toughening operation 111- and the next in the series reduces the oval I ready described. section to a round of smaller diameter than The production of manganese steel wire the original rod,

' of the configuration of cross-section desired, In operation, the hot rod is introduced 65 in accordance with my invention, should be into the first roller pass and at this time the 12 rolls are; driven as by direct electrical drive at a moderate speed such thatas the reduced rod emerges from the last pass of the series it may be readily seized and attached to the moving tension 'member of the wire drawing apparatus, and the wire is thereafter drawn through the roller dies. If the total reduction in the series of roller dies is considerable, the rod'is suitably cooled before it enbars the last rolling die pass and may also be cooled further asit leaves the lastgpass, by the application ofsteam or'water'je'ts, for example, to the 'moving rod in order to increase its strength so that the rod will be drawn through the successive dies of the series, without unsuitable or very irregular ganese steel rod in a fine-grained, austenlte stretching of the drawn section.

Manganese steel of an analysis particularly suitable for the practice of the invention would contain say 11 per cent. to 14 per cent. of manganese, and from .70 per cent to 1.30 per cent. of carbon, according 'to the *being continued from the higher tempera-- stillness or ductilityrequired; or the metal may have a proportion of copper or nickel in order to increase its resistance to oorro-. sion. I Havingthus described my invention, what I claim is:". i

1. The method of making manganese steel wire, which comprises producing a manganese steel rod in a fine-grained, austenite condition, and then, while the metal is in that condition and in a highly heated state working the rod with gradually diminished reductionsas the metal cools, theworking tures to temperatures below 420 (h; sub

, stantially as described.

2. The method of making manganese steel wire, which comprises producing a manganese. steel rodin a fine-grained, austenite condition, and then,'whi1e the metal is in that condition and in a highly heated state working the rod with gradually diminished, reductions as the metal cools, the working being continued from the higher temperatures to temperatures below 420 C. with intermediate rapid coolingand reheating before the final stage of the working; substan-' tially as described.

3. The method of making manganese steel wire, which comprises producing a manganese steel rod in a fine-grained, austen-ite condition, and then, while the metal isin that condition'and in a-hi hly heated state working the rod with'gra ually diminished reductions as the metal'cools, the working being continued from the higher temperasubstantially as described.

tures to temperatures below 420 C. with intermediate rapid cooling to below 420 C. and reheatingl for a'short time to a tempera- .ture within t e rangefrom 720 C. to 1050 C. before the 4. The method of making mangaiiese worki al stage of the working;

wire, which 'compriseaproducing a manganese steel rod in a fine-grained, austenite condition, and then, while the metal is in that condition and in a hi hl heated state being continued from the higher temperatures to temperaturesbelow 420 (1, restoring such ductility as has been lost during the the rod with gradila 1y diminished reductions as the metal cools, the working a working of the drawn product and toughening it by heating the drawn product to a temperature within therange from about 720 C. to about 1025 C., and immediately rapidly cooling; substantially as described.

5. The method of making manganese steel wire which comprises producing a maneondition, and working the rod with gradually "diminished reductions as the metal cools, the working being continued from 86 higher temperatures to temperatures'below 420 (3., heating the; drawn product to a temperature within the range from about- 720 C. to about 1025 0., immediately rapidly cooling, and further wire-drawing-to im- 90 part to the product additional smoothness or stifi'n'ess; substantially as described.

6. The method of making manganese steel wire from manganese steel, which comprises producing a manganese steel rod in a fine- D5 grained, austenite condition at a finishing temperature: between 800 C. and '1050 0.,

roller-drawing the rod with gradual de-. creasing reductions until at below 420 (1.,

and plate-drawin below 420 C. an tially as described. 7. The method of making manganese steel wire from a. manganese steel rod, which above 300 C. substanthe rod at temperatures .100'

comprises: roller-drawing. the rod at temperatures above 420 C, and completing the reduction to finished g'ageby plate-drawing at tempe rat-ures below 420 C. and above 300 (1; substantially as described.

8. The method of making manganese steel wire from a manganese steel rod, which compr ses-producmg a manganese steel rod 1n.a finea1ned,austen1te condltlon, and

working 1; e rod until of the desired gage at temperatures including a'range of 640 C. to

420 C.,'a substantially continuous pressure :being maintained upon the forming wire therelw minimizing .possible carbid separations substantially as described.

9. The method of making manganese steel wire from a manganese steel rod, r which com rises efl'ecting the maximum reduction of t e red at temperatures above 720 O. and with gradually diminished reductionsas 'the metal cools; substantially" as de-'1 25 scribed.- y v 10. The method of making man anese steel wire from a manganese steel r "in a fine-grained, austenite condition,. which.

comprises efljecting die draming gperations 1 within the range of 300 C. to 420 C. whereby the metal is subjected to the said drawin operations while in a condition of consi e'rable ductility and below temperatures at which there is a tendency to reversion out of the uniform austenite condition; substantially as described.

'11. The method of making manganese steel wire, which comprises pro ucing a manganese steel rod in a fine-grained, auste'nite condition and substantially devoid of intergrain separations, and working the rod to in presence 0 wire with one or more reheatings of short periods of duration temperatures above 640 C. thereby producing a strong, tough wire it free from internal weak cleavage surfaces; substantially as described. V

In testi'mon whereof-I afiix my signature,

two witnesses. WINFIELD S. POTTER.

Witnesses: 

